Scam library · Jobs
Holiday seasonal job scam
Fall is when stores, warehouses and delivery companies hire seasonal help, and plenty of people look for extra holiday income. Scammers post look-alike listings and send unsolicited offers for the same kinds of jobs: packing orders, delivering packages, gift wrapping, customer service from home or mystery shopping.
The BBB says fake mystery shopper offers resurface every fall as people look for side jobs, and local news teams have been warning about holiday job scams this season. A job offer by text or chat isn't automatically fake. The warning signs are what the "employer" asks you to do next.
What the message looks like
From: Text from 555-0148
Hi! Your resume was selected for a Seasonal Warehouse Associate role, $32/hr, weekly pay, start this week.
Reply YES for a quick chat interview. Before your first shift, please pay the $85 safety training and uniform fee at hire-onboarding-portal[.]com and upload a photo of your ID.
How this scam works
Some fake listings copy a well-known company's name and logo. Others are offers you never applied for, sent by text, email or social media, with high pay for little experience. The "interview" is often a quick chat in a messaging app, and you're hired on the spot.
Then the money requests start. You may be asked to pay for training, a uniform, a starter kit, a background check or equipment. The FTC says honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job.
Another version sends you a check, tells you to deposit it, keep part as pay and send the rest on, or buy gift cards with it. The FTC calls this a fake check scam: the check bounces later and the bank wants the full amount back from you.
Some scammers mainly want your identity. They ask for your Social Security number, bank details or a photo of your ID before there's any real hiring process, then use it for identity theft. Others say you must pay a fee to "unlock" earnings you've supposedly made.
Red flags
- A request to pay for training, a uniform, equipment, a background check or a "starter kit".
- A check you're told to deposit and then send part of the money on, or use to buy gift cards.
- A fee to "unlock" or withdraw your earnings.
- Requests for your Social Security number, bank login or ID photo before a real offer.
- A job you never applied for, with pay that seems far above similar seasonal work.
How to tell it’s fake
- Find the job on the company's official website or careers page, typed in yourself, not through the link you were sent.
- Search the company or recruiter's name with words like "scam", "review" or "complaint".
- Talk to someone you trust before accepting, or ask a scam expert for a second opinion. It gives you time to think.
What to do if you clicked, paid or shared info
Don’t panic, and don’t blame yourself. These scams are built by professionals. Act quickly, one step at a time.
If you clicked a link or called back
- If you opened a link but didn't enter anything, close it and stop replying. Block the number or account and report the listing to the job site or platform.
If you paid
- No matter how you paid, the FTC says to contact the company you used to send the money right away, report the fraud and ask to reverse the transaction.
- If you deposited a check from the "employer", tell your bank right away and don't send any of the money on.
If you shared personal info, a password or a code
- If you shared your Social Security number or ID, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan and consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with the credit bureaus.
- If you shared bank details, call your bank using the number on your card and ask about closing or watching the account.
Where to report and get help (U.S.)
If a message seems legit and you’re still not sure, get a second opinion before you act. Reporting helps stop scammers, even if money can’t be recovered. If you are in danger, call 911.
- Your bank or card issuer
Call the number on the back of your card or on your statement, not one from the message. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and to watch the account. - Federal Trade Commission (FTC) · ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Report the scam and get a step-by-step recovery plan. - FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) · ic3.gov
Report scams that happened online, especially if money was lost. Include phone numbers, websites and payment details. - AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline · aarp.org helpline
Free, for anyone of any age: trained volunteers help you sort out next steps. 877-908-3360, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. - IdentityTheft.gov · IdentityTheft.gov
If you shared your Social Security number or someone opened accounts in your name.
How Gmork Scam Guard would warn you
Scam Guard in Chrome and Edge on your computer checks the job, payment and sign-up pages you open from links, and can flag look-alike or very new websites before you pay or type personal details. It can't read texts on your phone, so open job links on your computer or look up the company's site yourself. If an offer seems legit, get a scam expert's second look before you pay.
Scam Guard can miss things, so the checks above still matter. See what it warns about and what it keeps private.
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Add to OperaQuestions people ask
- Do real employers charge for training or uniforms?
- The FTC says honest employers will never ask you to pay to get a job. Anyone who does is a scammer.
- Is a job offer by text always a scam?
- No, some real recruiters text. But be careful with offers you never applied for, chat-only interviews and any request for money or sensitive details.
- They sent me a check for equipment. Is that normal?
- No. The FTC says no honest employer will send you a check and tell you to send part of it on or buy gift cards with it.
- Where do I report a fake job?
- Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, to the job site where you saw it, and to the BBB Scam Tracker to warn others.